Hands-free calls and wireless music streaming in one tiny disk

I’m a sucker for gadgets in my car. My current car is a 2009 Honda Fit, and it was the first new car I’ve ever owned. I figure on driving it for at least 10 years, so in order to keep my interest, I bought the model with the in-dash navigation.

I figure having a touchscreen and plenty of buttons to push will keep me happy with the car for a longer time, and I’m mostly right.

Being a lower-end vehicle, the Fit has a nice entertainment system, but it lacks a few things I really wanted, such as Bluetooth and satellite radio.

It was easy enough to add a portable satellite radio, which I used for a few years until I realized I didn’t listen enough to warrant the monthly cost.

I’ve been pretty happy with a Bluetooth add-on from Belkin, the CarAudio Connect with Bluetooth ($79.99 from Amazon).

But I found a very similar device from Kinivo, the BTC450 ($39.99, kinivo.com), that has an important feature that’s lacking in the Belkin and costs half as much.

What it does

The BTC450 adds two big features to your car’s stereo: You can wirelessly stream music from your smartphone or tablet, and you can take and make hands-free phone calls, hearing your calls through the car’s speakers.

If your car lacks these features, this is a no-brainer purchase for $40.

One caveat — your car stereo has to have a 3.5 mm aux-in port for the BTC450 to work.

If your car lacks an aux input, this gadget is not for you.

Easy to install

The BTC450 installs in about one minute with no tools and no technical skills required.

There is a small, round disk that holds the music control buttons and a microphone. You mount the disk on your dashboard with an included double-sided adhesive pad.

You’ll want to place it so you can reach it with your hand and so that the microphone can easily pick up your voice.

In my car, it fit nicely next to the climate control knobs.

You then plug the aux-in plug into your stereo and the power plug into your 12-volt accessory socket.

The BTC450’s power plug has a USB port built in so you can connect your phone’s charging cable.

That’s all there is to the install. If your aux-in port is near your 12-volt power port, you’re all set. If the aux-in is more than about a foot from the power port, Kinvio thoughtfully includes a small 3.5 mm extension cord.

How it works

The first time you plug it in, the BTC450 will go into pairing mode. Open the Bluetooth control panel on your smartphone and select “BTC450” to pair.

Once paired, the BTC450 will automatically reconnect to your phone every time you start your car.

This is a feature I don’t have with the Belkin. To make the Belkin work, I have to press a button on the disk every time I get into the car to connect the phone.

To play music, tune your stereo to the Aux input and start the music on your mobile device. You should hear it very clearly through your car stereo.

I streamed music stored on my phone and apps like Pandora or Spotify and the sound was excellent.

When you receive a phone call, the stereo will mute, and you answer the phone by pressing the big button on the control disk and talk normally.

When the call ends, either by you pressing the control button to hang up or by the other party hanging up, the music will start again where it left off.

The control disk also has small buttons for playing the next song or previous song.

Call quality was very good, but clarity depends on the road noise your car produces. At slower speeds, my voice was very clear to callers. At highway speeds the quality decreased.

There is a blue/red LED about the size of a grain of rice that blinks occasionally to let you know the status. I did find the blinking a bit distracting and wish I could set it to either be always on or completely off.

A very small piece of black tape would take care of it for me.

Follow Jim Rossman on Twitter at @jimrossman.

Kinivo BTC450

Pros: Inexpensive, easy to install, good sound.

Cons: None

Bottom line: If you have an aux-in port and don’t have Bluetooth, you should buy a BTC450 today.

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About Jim Rossman

Jim Rossman is a senior application developer for AH Belo Corporation andhas been a technology columnist for The Dallas Morning News for more than a decade. He spent the first 10 years of his career as a reporter and photographer for the Tyler Morning Telegraph.
He was born in Harvey, Illinois, a suburb of Chicago and grew up in Katy, Texas.
Jim enjoys sporadic woodworking and finding the best barbecue. Follow him on Twitter @JimRossman.